Al-Jazirah newspaper



It is a reality that our homes are so reliant on domestic help that family members, young and old, will call on a domestic helper for even the most mundane of tasks like getting a glass of water from the kitchen. Some have gone to the extreme by recruiting more than one domestic helper just so they can continue being lazy.

The growing number of rooms for drivers and maids in houses indicates that men are no longer taking care of their responsibilities at home. The situation has gotten so bad that it is common to hear young Saudi children speak with the same accents as their maids because they spend more time in their care than they do with their biological mothers.

In many homes, there is a complete dependence on domestic help when it comes to cleaning the house, washing clothes, preparing meals, caring for guests and even for the elderly, sick and handicapped. This unhealthy total dependence has shaken the foundation of the family.

Even when it comes to emotions, we see young children displaying a greater emotional connection with their nannies and maids than their mothers or fathers. This has created social and behavioral problems, as such children are more neglectful and lazy and lack basic manners that only a mother or father can teach.

Despite this extreme form of dependence on domestic help, many families are doing great injustice toward domestic help by either abusing them or depriving them of their monthly wages. The whole system of recruiting domestic help needs to be reviewed and studied. Our current ways are unsustainable and often lead to the abuse of foreign workers in addition to the negative effect on a whole generation of children that grow up knowing their maid or nanny will always be there for them.